Investor · Ashburn, VA · Member since 2015 · 9 posts · 3 votes
I’m an out of state investor interested in North Canton. I’ve found several properties I’m interested in, however, I’m having trouble finding PM. Does anyone have a company they can recommend?
Rental Property Investor · North Canton, OH · Member since 2013 · 83 posts · 25 votes
7y
@Bobby Scurlock I live in North Canton and know a few people. I don't know what you're looking for, but I'm in the same boat as Tony. I manage my own, but have been interviewing PM's for the future. There's one lady I really liked. She mostly does 1-4 unit places but does do the leasing and other things for a couple of apartment buildings in the area. She's smaller but looking to selectively grow. She only manages solid buildings in good schools and neighborhoods. Her name is Shirley Pikus. http://www.pikusrealestate.com/
I've spoken to HPM - Hayes property management - They seem decent and have a friend that has them do all his work, however he owns SFH in the city of Canton that are rough. Big red flag for me with them is that they don't pull Credit Scores because for some reason they have to treat everyone the same and some of their customers don't want credit pulled. I can't live with that.
Otherwise you can look into Brookwood. They're located right in North Canton and I believe they manage several larger properties.
There's also Stewardship Property solutions - Merle Miller. I've interviewed them after they invited to their offices for the interview, they seem really solid. They charge more than most but maybe they're worth it. You'll have to decide that. https://accsps.com/
This should get you started. Happy to help in any way I can.
Rental Property Investor · Sagamore Hills, OH · Member since 2015 · 40 posts · 27 votes
7y
Hi Bobby - I have been an investor in North Canton since 2007. I manage my own properties but due to scalability issues, I am starting in investigate property management myself.
REM is one that is larger and more estabilished. Reviews seem mixed, but its hard to sift through what is meaningful and not since most reviews are coming from tenants. Westage Management, I think, only manages their own properties. Other than that there are a few small mom-&-pop places but I dont want to turn over my portfolio over to a new inexperienced company.
On a side note, I have been looking at North Canton in detail over the past several months and based off the average rent per square foot you can get in 44720, I dont see anything on the MLS where the numbers could even come close to working. Are you finding properties that are off MLS?
Rental Property Investor · North Canton, OH · Member since 2013 · 83 posts · 25 votes
7y
@Bobby Scurlock I live in North Canton and know a few people. I don't know what you're looking for, but I'm in the same boat as Tony. I manage my own, but have been interviewing PM's for the future. There's one lady I really liked. She mostly does 1-4 unit places but does do the leasing and other things for a couple of apartment buildings in the area. She's smaller but looking to selectively grow. She only manages solid buildings in good schools and neighborhoods. Her name is Shirley Pikus. http://www.pikusrealestate.com/
I've spoken to HPM - Hayes property management - They seem decent and have a friend that has them do all his work, however he owns SFH in the city of Canton that are rough. Big red flag for me with them is that they don't pull Credit Scores because for some reason they have to treat everyone the same and some of their customers don't want credit pulled. I can't live with that.
Otherwise you can look into Brookwood. They're located right in North Canton and I believe they manage several larger properties.
There's also Stewardship Property solutions - Merle Miller. I've interviewed them after they invited to their offices for the interview, they seem really solid. They charge more than most but maybe they're worth it. You'll have to decide that. https://accsps.com/
This should get you started. Happy to help in any way I can.
Rental Property Investor · Sagamore Hills, OH · Member since 2015 · 40 posts · 27 votes
7y
@Matt Kauffman wow great thread. I really liked what I saw on Stewardship Property Solutions. I know of Shirley as well but I was always under the impression she more on the realtor side and very light on property management so I will take a closer look at her team.
@Bobby Scurlock - since I forgot to mention this in my original post - feel free to PM me if you have any questions about areas of North Canton you are looking at. There are some 44720 properties that are Plain Local schools which rent for about 25% less per square foot than properties in North Canton city schools. There are also a few neighborhoods with septic and well water peppered throughout 44720 and I stay away from those since the command lower rents.
Investor · Tempe, AZ · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 731 votes
7y
Hi @Bobby Scurlock. You mentioned there are several properties that you are interested in. We always advise to have the property at least in close of escrow before talking to PM's about their services. Especially if you already have an agent for the buy. Mostly to respect their time but also you save you time and energy since the results will vary significantly.
The challenging part about Northeastern Ohio are the markets vary considerably. Due to that, it is common for property management firms to have their own criteria. They are selective about which asset types and areas they are willing to manage. Especially if these properties are in different locations or quality, that would produce different interests from PM's. We've got PM's who are only interested in SFR in Medina with rents above $1,400. Others that will only manage properties within 20 mins of their office. And then some who manage any and everywhere.
Point being, once you are more refined on the property and your needs then you can better value the property managers. You can ask more specific questions. Not only valuing the PM's time, but it will also save you time now doing more work than you need to.
Investor · Valley Village, CA · Member since 2016 · 11 posts · 4 votes
7y
I just picked up an 8-unit in Canton and had a referral for a fellow by the name of Rick Knight (ReMax) for property mgmt. Had a nice phone interview with him and let him take over property. This is all very recent, so I have no feedback per se on the experience, but will up-date this thread down the road. I too have heard wonderful things about Shirley Pikus, however my property was not in the scope of her management.
Rental Property Investor · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2019 · 23 posts · 8 votes
7y
@Dale Vance do you have any updates on your property management choice?
I have recently been looking at PM in this area as well. HPM seemed great, however I don't like the fact they charge their unit fee for vacant units and in my specific situation they would charge more than 12%.
Stewardship seemed great too but they had more fees than any PM I have ever seen. Their 10% fee on total repair cost was the straw that broke the Camels back.
I can't get a human at ECM to pick up the phone.
Allcounty NEO seemed like the best option out of all but can't be bothered to even send me the contract to review. I liked them on the phone though. I figure if they can't email me a contract though I may be SOL when I really need something.
I just found this thread and figured I would ask you about remax. How are you liking them? Anything you don't like?
Investor · Valley Village, CA · Member since 2016 · 11 posts · 4 votes
7y
REMAX ended up being a bust. Had to fire them after three months. No reports, not paying utilities on time, no owner deposits. Had to threaten to get my atty involved. Eventually got everything sorted. I did end up going with stewardship property solutions. The Maintenece fee is not that big of a deal to me. All mgmt companies mark that stuff up. So far my experience with Merle Miller at Stewardhip has been great. The communication has been great, we have many lengthy discussions on the phone and i feel good about them so far. We need a bit of a track record for me to have a full report on them. But so far i am pleased. I don’t recommend buying property in Canton though. Happy to explain why if you need me to. I’ve learned a lot in the last five months......
Investor · Valley Village, CA · Member since 2016 · 11 posts · 4 votes
7y
Kyle. I am from Akron and all of my investment properties are in Kent. I like that area. The 8-unit i bought in Canton came on my radar and the price to rent ratio made it very appealing. The area is not great, but the units are rented and the property cash flows well. It’s the dealing with the city on issues that will keep me from buying there again. Kent and Stow areas are where I prefer to be.
Rental Property Investor · Massillon, OH · Member since 2017 · 215 posts · 168 votes
5y
Finding a 'good' property management company in this area is very difficult. Monthly fees, maintenance fees, monthly reporting, tenant screening, preventative maintenance, timely billing... it's not easy to find a company that will take care of your baby and spend your money like it's theirs.
It's interesting to read the companies discussed on this thread, some have managed mine in the past. I couldn't keep it up and brought it in house. Who knows if I'll be able to keep it up, but until we get some better options in the area I don't see any other choice.
Finding a 'good' property management company in this area is very difficult. Monthly fees, maintenance fees, monthly reporting, tenant screening, preventative maintenance, timely billing... it's not easy to find a company that will take care of your baby and spend your money like it's theirs.
It's interesting to read the companies discussed on this thread, some have managed mine in the past. I couldn't keep it up and brought it in house. Who knows if I'll be able to keep it up, but until we get some better options in the area I don't see any other choice.
HI Jack, are you still managing your own properties? or have you found a good PM?